


Chasing Villains and Holding Hands

by zoeleigh



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: 1950s, Alternate Universe - 1950s, Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - No Band, Angst, Child Abuse, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Panic Attacks, Rich Josh, Violence, poor tyler
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-06
Updated: 2017-06-06
Packaged: 2018-11-09 22:37:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11114331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zoeleigh/pseuds/zoeleigh
Summary: Tyler is from the poor neighborhood a forest away from the one and only Josh Dun, a kid from the richest neighborhood in town. When the two meet in the woods, a fast friendship is formed. And it's all fine and dandy till one night when there's something troubling on the news...aka the 1950's AU no one but me asked for





	Chasing Villains and Holding Hands

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [I'm in Love (I'm All Shook Up)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9412499) by [PastelMess](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PastelMess/pseuds/PastelMess). 



> okay so this isn't the most accurate 50's fic, but i got the idea and i put it in the 50's so, sorry if it's highly inaccurate lol

Tyler’s house didn’t have a big yard. His family lived in a small, poor neighborhood. For most kids, that would be the worst. Except Tyler had the backyard of a small forest, complete with a small creek and plenty of trees perfect for climbing. His house was located at the bottom of his neighborhood and right in front of the woods. And lucky for Tyler, a Joshua Dun just so happened to live on the other side of that forest. By car it would take about fifteen minutes for one to reach the other’s house, but by woods they were only five minutes apart. 

Josh lived in a nicer neighborhood, one where there was plenty of yard space and even a community pool at the center. Josh never cared for that though. He’d much rather run rampant in the forest with his best friend, creating imaginary stories in their head to play out. 

The day the two boys stumbled across each other they were both playing in the creek. It was the summer of 1947, Josh had just turned eight and Tyler was still seven. With them being that age, it didn’t take long for a friendship to form. Everyday for the rest of that summer Tyler and Josh found themselves playing around the forest chasing make believe villains all the while holding hands and laughing.

Once school started back up that fall, it got harder for the two to play together. Josh went to a private school and Tyler could barely afford getting himself a proper education at a public school. His family just didn’t have the money for supplies or a school lunch or good fitting clothes. Of course he wouldn’t tell Josh that though, Tyler knew all too well what type of families lived in his friend’s neighborhood having tried to make friends there before. The younger boy was petrified that if Josh found out about where he lived, about how little money he had, that Josh was sure to shut him out. Anytime Josh would ask about Tyler’s worn out shoes or if he could visit Tyler’s house, Tyler was quick to change the topic. At first Josh didn’t care, he didn’t even notice honestly, all he cared about was having his best friend. 

The boys would spend time at Josh’s house or out roaming the woods. As the season slipped into colder months, a small and cozy blanket fort was built so Tyler and Josh wouldn’t have to forgo the forest. It was hard for the pair to sneak blankets out, even more so for Tyler, but somehow they managed enough to stay warm through the winter. That was until it snowed. The fort caved and the boys were forced inside while they hangout, still only ever going to Josh’s. When spring finally came around, Tyler and Josh were absolutely ecstatic. Immediately they started playing all their imaginary games again. And the cycle just repeated. 

For a few years that’s how it stayed. As they grew, the games shifted to accommodate the age but everything else was the same. Then eighth grade happened. Josh had finally gotten suspicious enough to wonder where Tyler lived and why he never talked about his home life. The older tried to bring it up, to coax the younger into talking but Tyler was having none of it. So one day after Tyler had begun to head home, Josh followed him. He followed him all the way to the edge of the forest where he saw a woman he presumed to be Tyler’s mother, open the backdoor and yell at him for being a few minutes late. Josh also thought he heard something about Tyler getting no supper that night. Quickly, Josh scrambled back home, not quite sure what to do with this newfound information. He was sure, however, that he’d ask Tyler about it the next day. Josh was only thirteen and reckoned he didn’t know all that much, but he didn’t think for even a second that how Tyler’s mom treated him was right. 

When asked the next afternoon, Tyler denied anything was wrong and the two carried on with their afternoon. Except now Tyler had a panicky feeling rising in his gut, worried about Josh hating him for where he lived. Josh never said anything but Tyler swore he could see the disgust in his eyes. All the while Josh was trying to figure out if Tyler was lying, he was almost absolutely positive that Tyler was indeed lying. Josh didn’t say anything though and neither did Tyler. 

Eventually summer break came again and it seemed like the boys even forgot about the whole situation. Tyler even let Josh come over when his parents were out for work and Josh brought Tyler to the neighborhood swimming pool from time to time. The pair carried on as best friends for the rest of that summer.

As August of 1953 rolled around and school started back, Tyler and Josh began high school. Nothing much changed at first. Tyler was still struggling with funds and Josh was still attending the poshest school in the city. They both still hung out all the time after school, the hangouts now just consisted of more homework and less woodsy adventures. Their imaginary adventured were now few and far between. Josh got a girlfriend, Debby, who lived a few houses down from him and went to the same school as him, same grade even. Debby was nice and started joining the best friends’ afternoon time together. Tyler liked her and thought she was the perfect girl for Josh, she even offered to set Tyler up with a girl of his own, her friend Jenna. Tyler lied and said he had his eyes on a girl at school, to which Josh’s eyes almost bulged out. He wasn’t sure why, but the thought of going out with a girl shook him to the core. And the idea of Josh dating someone, even more so. Later when Josh questioned Tyler about this girl, it struck Tyler that he simply described a girl version of his older best friend. Josh didn’t appear to have noticed. 

Around Josh, Tyler’s thoughts dissipated into nothing more than what he’d imagine was similar to what people called a school girl crush. Over the next few weeks, it took everything in Tyler to push the unidentified feelings down and out of mind. He didn’t know what this was, what he was feeling. One night, Tyler was sitting with his family in the living room watching the news while waiting on Josh to come pick him up to go see a movie with him and Debby. He wasn’t paying much attention to the TV until he heard his father, Chris, grunt in disdain. Tyler snapped his head up and watched as the news anchor shared about ‘a rise in homosexuality,’ a term Tyler wasn’t familiar with. 

“What’s that there news person talkin’ ‘bout Pop?”

“Boys lovin’ boys an girls lovin’ girls, it’s disgustin’.”

“Oh, that’s what that’s called. But why’s it so wrong Pop? I don’t get it.” Right then, Tyler regrets ever asking.

“Whadda mean, what’s wrong with it? Everythin’ is wrong with it. It’s a gosh darn sin and any boy lovin’ on another boy is goin’ to Hell.”

“Oh,” was all Tyler could say.

“Why you all of a sudden interested? Huh? Are you a faggot Tyler? Is my son a fag?”

Tyler curled up into a ball, trying his damnedest not to cry, not now. Because maybe that’s what he is, maybe he likes guys. 

“Answer me son! Answer me,” his dad’s voice rings out throughout the otherwise silent house.

A small whimpered “no” comes out.

Tyler’s dad doesn’t look convinced and pulls his belt out of his pants.

“Let the serve as a reminder to you, and your siblings, that being a fag is not accepted in this house,” and with that Chris brought the belt down on the side of Tyler’s face and his arm.

Tyler tries his best to hold back all the emotion from his face, barely even gasping when the leather struck. 

“Yes sir, sorry sir.”

A standoffish silence filled the living room for another few minutes before Josh knocked at the door.

Tyler’s face was throbbing still when his dad told him to answer the door,“You can go, you can not go. I don’t give a damn right now Tyler, just answer the stupid door.”

Quickly Tyler scrambled to the door and slipped outside.

“Hey Ty, whoa. What happened to your face? Are you okay,” Josh’s concern apparent in his voice. Tyler nodded curtly and walked straight to the car Josh was driving and sat himself down in the backseat, completely ignoring Debby’s greeting. Josh got in right behind him after standing for a minute utterly confused. The couple tried to interact for the first few minutes of the drive but soon gave up as Tyler wasn’t responding. Tyler started crying in the backseat, silently. Silent tears, he knew, were for the ones that couldn’t be helped. And God, was he absolutely fucked.

Throughout the whole movie, Tyler stares at the screen the movie is playing on emotionlessly. His mind roaring with thoughts he doesn’t let show on his face. Both Josh and Debby keep looking to him, trying to see if there’s been any change. But the flickering of the movie light only illuminates the same thing over and over again, a hopeless, careless face. Josh eventually gives in to his desire to touch the boy because maybe, a little human contact is what Tyler needs. Instead it’s the opposite, Tyler flinches and starts to get panicky. 

“Ty, I’m so so sorry,” Josh whispers cautious of the other moviegoers who might get upset at an interruption to the film, “Just please, calm down. I’m sorry if I did anythin’ wrong, I just don’t want you to feel like this. Please.”

With that, Tyler gets up and abruptly leaves. In a jiffy, he’s out of the theatre and running into the closest bathroom. Josh hesitates for a minute before whispering something to Debby and rushing after him. He follows the sound of violent sobs hoping that it’s Ty. 

The sound leads Josh to a single stall bathroom and after jiggling the lock, he pushes himself in. Tyler’s balled up in the corner, tears soaking his t-shirt. 

“Hey, Ty. You wanna talk? I wanna help, gosh do I wanna help so damn bad, but I can’t do a thing till you tell me what’s been goin’ on.”

Slowly Tyler pulls his head up from his curled position.

“I can’t, you’ll hate me,” Ty whispers with a voice of thorns.

“Ty, there’s not a single thin’ in this whole world that could make me hate you. You, Tyler Robert Joseph, are my best friend and I love you a whole lot. So please, share. Lemme help you out.”

“I, uh, I was watchin’ the news with my Pop and Maddy and Zack- Jay was out somewhere thankfully- and uh…“

“It’s okay Tyler, take your time.”

“Well I didn’t know what the news anchor was talkin’ ‘bout so I asked my Pop and he got all mad and stuff.”

“No,” Josh mumbles.

“So he took his belt off and gave me a lick as a reminder to me and my siblin’s, although I think this’ll serve me more than them. They just had to watch.”

Josh strokes his best friend’s arm and pulls him into a warm hug. The tears keep rolling down Tyler’s face, somehow his eyes continue producing more. It’s almost like all the tears Tyler has kept in over the past few weeks are finally showing themselves. Tyler relaxes into the hug and allows the physical connection without panicking.   
“Tyler, what did your Pop get mad ‘bout? If you can tell, if not it’s fine I s’ppose. I just wanna help.”

“You’ll hate me J, I know it. You’ll wanna hurt me right here, right now,” Tyler shakes his head and starts to sob again. He pulls out of the hug and reverting back to the huddled form he was before Josh came in. After giving the crying boy a moment, Josh grabs his chin and forces Tyler’s eyes to look at him.

“I will never hurt you, not intentionally at least. I swear on my mama’s life that I won’t do anythin’.”

“Well, uh, being a homosexual,” Tyler’s hesitancy picks up with each new word from his mouth, “I just didn’t know what it meant and I asked and my Pop went off ‘bout it being a sin and I guess I didn’t say I wasn’t a fag quick enough because this happened. But, uh, the real problem is I think I might be one and now I know I could never tell my family or anyone. I probably shouldn’t even be telling you. You’re probably gonna rat me ou-“

“Tyler, Ty calm down. Take a deep breath. I don’t hate you. I’m not gonna go tell anyone you don’t want me to. In fact, I don’t even think it’s all that wrong. If I can love a girl why can’t I love a guy too? I mean I never thought ‘bout me, but if that’s who you are, it’s who you are. And that’s just grand.”

Both boys let out the built up worry inside with each exhale. 

“You really don’t hate me J?”

“I really don’t hate you Ty, in fact I still quite like you. You’ll always be my best friend. You’d have to kill me before I’m not.”

“I might be able to arrange that,” Tyler jokes. Josh feigns hurt before wrapping his arms back around his best friend.  
Tyler grins and leans into Josh’s warm embrace, allowing a few quiet moments to pass by. Meanwhile, the younger’s brain is anything but quiet. Josh doesn’t hate them, but what if he found out Tyler was in love with him? What then? What if Josh actually does hate him and is waiting for the perfect time to jump him? There’s such indecisiveness as conflicting thoughts swirl around, eating at his brain.

“Hey, Josh, would you mind if I told you somethin’ else too? I don’t think you’re gonna like it, not one bit, but I think I wanna tell you anyway.”

“Yeah, course Ty. You can tell me anything.”

It all comes out quick,” IthinkIhaveacrushonyoumaybe.”

“What Ty? I’m gonna need you to repeat that. Slower this time, please.”

This time Tyler is slow and meticulous, “I think I have a crush on you, maybe. I don’t know.” Josh stays silent so Tyler continues, desperate to fill the silence. Yelling is always better than quiet. “I know, I know I shouldn’t tell you, you love Debby and I’m just some crazy boy with a crush on his cute, rich best friend. I’m sorry, I probably just shouldn’t of said anythi-“

Josh cuts Tyler off with a kiss. It’s sloppy and messy, it is their first. But it’s Tyler and Josh, Josh and Tyler. So, it’s perfect. When Josh pulls back he rests his forehead on Tyler’s and brings his hand up to caress Ty’s cheek.

It’s finally the younger to break the silence, “I have been waiting on that forever.”

“Yeah, I think me too actually.”

The pair sit there for a few more minutes, soaking in this beginning. Hopefully, it’ll be the beginning of a relationship, a beautiful romance. Something for forever.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading :) more chapters to come soon (i'm thinking this is gonna be short but who knows???)
> 
> apologies for any mistakes lol


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